


My First, My Last, My Everything

by MMCatAnime



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Klance smut, M/M, Male Masturbation, Masturbation, Smut, klance, klance angst, klance fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9497765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MMCatAnime/pseuds/MMCatAnime
Summary: Keith nor Lance knew what was going on; a few tight chests and stuttered words had made them hate and resent each other. Luckily they have the help and guidance of a few experienced friends.





	1. Chapter 1- The Calm Before The Storm Part 1

_So annoying..._

Keith couldn't help but echo these words in the depths of his mind as he stared at the blue paladin.

Even if this was the one of the few times that Lance was keeping to himself in the same room as Keith, his chest still swelled and his mouth got more and more dry with every page turned of the Altean book Lance was attempting to read. At the moment Keith was staring at him from across the large couch they were both sitting on, crossing his arms with a firm frown on his face. 

His dark eyes could almost pierce Lance's skin from how harsh his glare was. He was being completely obnoxious by just sitting there, and it infuriated him. Every inch of his pale skin itched and twitched with rage, and he could not for the life of him explain why.

His unkempt, brunet hair, his wide blue eyes, his loud voice- every single one of these things made Keith's hair stand in his neck. He knew he shouldn't be silently taking his anger out on Lance, but he was bitter and tired and needed someone- anyone but himself to blame it on.

"Keith? Keith, are you okay?" A deep voice alerted Keith from his state, making him turn his head to look up at Shiro. "You look like you're looking at Zarkon in the flesh, what's going on?" He had a brow raised as he followed Keith's previous glance, relaxing his face and sighing in disappointment when he found the cause of Keith's dismay.

"I'm fine, just let me be..." Keith slouched further in his seat, looking back at the Cuban at the other side of the room with a slightly softer gaze. 

"You're gonna burn holes into his head if you keep staring." Shiro chuckled, catching the attention of the aforementioned boy. However before he could open his- according to Keith- obnoxious mouth, the red paladin had already gotten up and begun to leave the room for his own.

A confused expression was shot at Shiro, but was responded to in silence and the absence of the black paladin as well. Lance stared at the doors Shiro exited through, then the ones Keith did before shrugging and returning to his attempt at reading an Altean book.

~~~

"Princess, we need to do something about them." Shiro crossed his arms as he stood beside Allura, staring at her face which was concentrated on one of the many see-through screens in front of her. She sighed heavily before putting down the screens and placing her hands in her lap.

"I'm assuming you're talking about Lance and Keith?" She raised a brow as she stood up in her seat, keeping her hands cupped in front of her. She was wearing her usual graceful robes that cascaded down her body. Shiro had thought many times that the color of her dress reminded him of earth butterflies, but he had never mentioned such trivial things to the princess.

"I'm afraid that if we let their bickering go on for much longer, we won't be able to form Voltron..." Shiro kept his gaze firm, despite the worry that seemed to flow through his veins.

"I agree, that could be very problematic. However I don't see anything we can do about it- we cannot simply force them to be together..." Her voice trailed off, and her mind picked up where it left off. She sat back down, pulling up the screens in front of her again. "I do have a small mission I can send them on- something that would require a lot of teamwork." She showed Shiro a picture of a soft blue planet on the monitor, tearing her eyes away from the screen to look over at him. "I was planning on sending Pidge and Hunk, but I'm sure it will work out regarding our Lance and Keith situation."

"It's perfect, I'll tell them to be ready by morning." A smile came across Shiro's face as he patted the princess's shoulder and left the room, the smile staying as he strode into the sitting room and called for the other paladins.


	2. Chapter 2- The Calm Before The Storm Part 2

**"What?!"**

Lance and Keith's cries could most likely been heard from the milky way galaxy.

"I'm **not** being sent out on a mission alone with him!" Keith stood from his seat, startling the yellow, green, and black paladins almost as much as his voice raising.

"You can't do this! He'll kill me- I'm sure of it!" Lance's approach was more out of fear than anger, though it sill surged through his body almost as much Keith's did.

"It isn't a difficult mission; all you two need to do is not kill each other for a week. Believe me, you'll be back to the castle before you know it." Shiro couldn't help the wicked smile that came across his face. As bad as he knew it was, he found some joy in tormenting the boys. The only reasonable explanation for it was the brotherly love he had with the two, and if not that he was just a sadist.

He gestured for the two of them to sit back down, both complying after moving further away from each other.

"I don't mean to sound rude Shiro, but I kind of agree with them..." Hunk chimed in, leaning forward in his seat and putting his elbows on his lap. 

"I'm gonna have to second that. It's probably be more efficient to send- just for instance- Hunk and I?" Pidge raised her hand for a moment, showing her involvement in the conversation. "No offence to either of you- or to your authority, Shiro- but I just don't think it's the best idea..."

"Shiro's decision is final." Princess Allura's calm voice reached their ears, and they all shifted their gazes to her. "Lance, Keith- I suggest you start getting packed up, by the calculations I've done it seems the two of you will be staying for about a week in your human time." She smiled sweetly despite the gut-wrenching news that was delivered to the red and blue paladins.

"A **week?!** " Lance and Keith shouted in sync, standing up again.

"A day would be bad enough- but a week?!" Lance shrieked, running his hands through his hair as his eyes dilated. Keith's expression wasn't much different, but his fists were balled tightly to his side instead of yanking on his longer hair.

"Sometimes I think you're all just sadists..." Keith growled, clenching his jaw roughly. "Fine, let's just get this over with..." Steam was almost visibly trailing from his ears while he walked in the direction of his room, desperate to be alone after all the commotion in the main room.

Keith couldn't believe this; instead of trying to defeat Zarkon, Allura and Shiro were sending him out on an intergalactic road trip with Lance. **Lance** of all people. He would've been fine with Pidge, or even Hunk or Coran, but Lance? He wasn't sure if he could last a week alone without punching him square in the face.

The night before the trip, Keith was restless. Even after packing in a blind rage couldn't seem shut his eyes, and his body couldn't stop tingling no matter how much he willed it to. Just the tough of spending an entire week with Lance made his entire body heat up- though, he was perplexed to if it was out of anger or something else. The main fact was that Keith was **pissed**. 

After laying down for what felt like hours in a hot sweat Keith bolted out of his bed and changed his clothes, snatching his bayard from the small table beside his bed and huffing the entire way to the training room.

~~~

Lance couldn't wrap his head around around the situation as he packed his small bag for the trip. Him and Keith; on what astral plain were they a good team? They were at each other's throats at almost every hour of the day, and when they weren't arguing one was sending dirty glares at the other. Even the few times they did get along there was a sort of tenseness in the air- Lance couldn't quite place why it was there and where it had come from though.

Never the less he couldn't seem to get any sleep that night, kept up by his loud thoughts and kept company by his throbbing heart. It was roughly three in the morning when he couldn't take it anymore. He got up and left his room, deciding to wander around the castle until he felt even remotely tired. 

The halls seemed to stretch for miles, and had Lance not lived in the castle for months before this he would likely be lost in the nearly identical corridors until the others woke up and found him. His feet dragged against the floor while he walked, his hands stuffed in his robe pockets and his eyes drooping. He suddenly became startled by a dark figure on the other side of the hall, slowly making it's way towards him. 

Hunk and Shiro would never be up this late, they valued sleeping almost as much as Lance did. Pidge? No, Lance had seen her pass out in bed cold just a few hours ago- after she spent almost the entire day being spent with Coran in the engine room. So who could it be..?

The silhouette let out a small grunt of surprise when they saw Lance as and stopped their slow, sluggish pace, Lance quickly following suit. 

"Lance..?" They let out a small grunt that sent chills down Lance's spine, and made him shiver. He immediately knew who it was.

"Keith..." There was no questioning tone behind Lance's voice, and when the former heard his name he tensed up a bit.

"What... What're you doing up..?" Keith's usual confident voice and demeanor seemed to had completely diminished. Sure, his voice was crackly and deep from sleep, but that did nothing to distract from the fact that the red paladin looked nervous. 

"I could ask you the same thing, Kogane..." Lance muttered, standing a bit taller now that said boy was in front of him.

"Hey, I asked you first..." Keith's voice was becoming slurred while he began to walk closer, and Lance took notice in his clothing. He was wearing his training clothes, his black t-shirt and pants with a towel hanging around his shoulders. Lance only realized how tired he looked when he stepped a bit closer, his eyes drooping into small slits and staying that way.

"Couldn't sleep, what about you?" Lance had decided not to aggravate Keith any longer, they were both tired and if they continued to bicker with them both in this state it was guaranteed that they would make bad decisions.

"Same here..." Keith replied without hesitation, swaying in place while his eyes drooped completely shut. Lance's breath hitched when Keith began to lean over too much to the right, talking a few long strides to him and placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. 

"You okay..?" Lance was hesitant to ask while he furrowed his brows, looking down a bit worriedly at Keith. He knew the answer, though he had learned to never jump to conclusions when it came to the red paladin.

"Mhm... peachy..." Keith hummed, his body leaning towards Lance's. Suddenly, without warning, his body fell limply onto Lance's and let out a long sigh, his body physically relaxing while he nearly melted into Lance. Keith's face was resting in the crook of Lance's neck, and let out a warm puff of air on his neck.

"I'm gonna take you back to bed, alright?" Lance's voice wavered while he spoke, his arms hooking around Keith's waist while he steadied the boy a bit more. Keith let out a small hum that tickled Lance's neck and laid his arms limply on his slim shoulders. "The only question is how..." Lance mumbled, hesitating before gripping at Keith's thighs and wrapping them around his waist. 

The walk back to the bunkers was slow, and by the time he dropped off Keith in his bed he realized that both his robe and one of his slippers had fallen off during the walk. The blush dancing along his tanned cheeks and the tips of his ears didn't leave him while picked up his scattered belongings, put them back on, or even a few minutes later when he collapsed on his bed. 

His muscles felt weak and his entire body was clammy, so he quickly ripped off the one comforting robe and kicked the slippers onto the floor. He couldn't believe that had just happened, and he still wasn't sure if it was just a dream or not. Judging by how tired Keith looked, and he fact that he was drooling onto Lance's shoulder far before they had reached his bed, Lance was quite confident that his fellow paladin wouldn't remember the whole ordeal the next morning.

After tossing and turning for what felt like hours Lance ultimately decided not to bring it up the next morning, mentioning it would make thing terribly awkward and the others would likely make fun of them for weeks. Keith would hate him more, and have an even better reason to drive his bayard through Lance's chest. 

Even after all of this he had trouble falling asleep, his mind seemed to bounce off the wall even though his body stayed glued to the bed. He felt lonely, lonelier than usual. The though of his family came to his mind, his mother, father, sisters and brothers, even his cousins comforted him when he felt this way.

Tonight, though, he wanted more. He wanted more than a soft kiss on the forehead from his mother, more than the tight hug of his father, and more than the friendly and child-like aura from his siblings.

He wanted- no, needed intimacy. It had been so long in his mind, the most comforting and loving touch he got these days was a hug from hunk or the occasional pat on the back from Shiro. He wanted to feel special, he wanted to know he truly mattered to someone.

_Keith... I want Keith..._

He was too tired to comprehend his mind telling him this when when he finally fell asleep. And he wasn't able to realize the fact that he had pictured Keith lying next to him while he fell asleep, his legs tangled with his own and having him whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for the late update everyone. I've had very busy few months; I switched schools about a week after I published the first chapter and had to scramble to get all the homework I missed finished. I'm back now though, and I'm hoping to work out some kind of schedule for updates or at least update previews. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please keep arguments and hate out of the comment section.


	3. Chapter 3- The Calm Before the Storm Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are stressed, and Pidge does her best to help them out. *Vomit is mentioned, so if you're sensitive to that kind of stuff I suggest you skip this chapter. There isn't too much plot, just some insight into the character's thoughts on the situation.*

The next morning neither parties were well rested, but on a lighter note that meant they had less energy to fight.

 

Keith, fortunately, didn't remember any of the events from the night before. He was more tired and achy than any tossing and turning could provide, but he wouldn't put it past himself. He thought maybe he had sleepwalked, as it was something his body tended to do when he was extremely anxious and/or angry. He was often both, though.

Lance felt a but more rested than his fellow paladin, however when he woke an aching and twisting feeling in his stomach formed in his stomach. This feeling only grew stronger as the morning dragged on, and he was debating whether or not he was going to vomit from it. He had told Hunk at breakfast, in which he didn't eat as much of the amazing buffet his friend provided. 

"Don't worry about it man, if you're gonna be sick then just be sick. You might as well do it before you're stuck in a pod with Keith." Hunk shrugged while biting into a piece of some kind of meat he had fried; it looked similar to bacon, only with a slight neon yellow tint to it. Lance replied with a nod and left the kitchen with a heavy sigh, only to bump shoulders and make a synchronized "oof" sound with whoever it was.

"Oh, sorry-" Lance turned his head and his stomach jolted at the sight of a tired, and disgruntled looking Keith. Dark bags were under his eyes, and he had a heavier frown on his face than usual. Lance acknowledged the fact that he definitely didn't look any better, but Keith looked like a downright zombie.

"Yeah, sorry..." Keith grumbled, walking past him and dragging his feet into the kitchen. He noticed a slight slouch in his posture, something he was sure he had never seen the boy do in the months that he knew him. His hair was also up in an elastic; Lance hadn't the slightest clue where he could've gotten it from, but it was hot pink and looked fairly worn.

After finally coming to his scenes a slight gagging noise came from his closed mouth, and he covered his now pursed lips with the palm of his hand when he felt a warm bile begin to fill his throat. He suddenly sprinted for the washroom at the end of the hall, leaving a concerned Hunk and sleep deprived Keith in the dust. 

Even though Keith would never admit it- not even to himself- he felt a pang of worry strike him when he saw Lance make a run for the bathroom. What had happened? Was he really that nervous about their trip? Keith had never intended to make him worry that much. His threats and deathly glares had always been empty, and it make his chest ache to hear the boy's coughing from the other room.

"I hope he'll be alright for the trip..." Keith almost jumped at the sudden concerned voice that sounded beside him, crossing his forearms and leaning them on the counter in front of him. "Please go easy on him? I just don't like seeing Lance getting so worked up over this, it really isn't like him..." Hunk turned to face Keith while he put his eating utensils on the counter, giving him a serious look. 

After a brief nod from Keith, Hunk nodded with a small smile and returned to shoveling down his food. Keith hadn't the stomach to eat, he felt to weak to even talk and to small of the savory food was making him feel as sick as Lance probably was. With a quiet goodbye he left the kitchen, making his way down to hall towards the bathroom that Lance's coughs were echoing from.

Lance had been in so much of a rush that he had let the bathroom door open a crack, and Keith was able to peer into the small room at the boy that was hunched over the toilet. Lance didn't notice, of course, because he was too busy coughing and spitting to try and get the rest of the vomit out of his throat. 

The blue paladin couldn't think to a time when he felt more ill, and all he had wanted in that moment was his mother rubbing his back and cooing him to make him feel maybe the slightest bit better. Maybe that was shy he more sick now than the other times, maybe he was terribly homesick and needed his mamá or papá to soothe him. He just needed them to tell him that he would be alright. 

Usually in battle when he wasn't certain he would make it out alive he would think back to his papá's warm hugs, or his mamá's kisses all over his cheeks. But now, of all times, it seemed like nothing would make him feel better.

After he spat the final bit of bile from his mouth he leaned against the toilet, moving his hand up weakly to flush down the mess he had made. He closed his eyes while it flushed down and the disgusting smell no longer filled his nose, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

A soft rustle sounded from behind him, and he whipped his head around as quickly as he could without making himself sick all over again. When his eyes landed on the door it was slightly more ajar than he remembered leaving it, but he shrugged it off and slowly stood up. His hand rested on the counter so he could pull himself up and hunch over the sink.

After Lance had washed out his mouth he shakily made his way out of the washroom, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he walked into the hallway. He wondered for a moment if this could get him out of the trip before quickly pulling the idea from his head. He didn't want to disappoint Shiro and Allura like that, and he definitely didn't want to one of the other members of the team being subjected to a grouchy Keith for an entire week. Maybe he just needed a nap. He silently agreed with himself while he slowly and wobbly made his way to his room, running into Pidge walking out of her own on the way.

"Woah, you okay? You look like you drank that weird hair growth thing again..." Despite her joke, her tone and expression were completely serious. He replied with a silent nod as his door opened, walking into it with a slow pace and dismissing Pidge rather quickly. She let out a small "humph" before poking her head through inside his room. "I'm gonna get you some water, you look like you could use it." He would've pretended that he didn't need it, the last thing he wanted was for the girl to be concerned for him. However he could only muster up a small groan of protest, and he could only force it out after she left and the door shut behind her.

Lance slumped down into his bed almost immediately after laying his eyes on it, and the moment after he felt the warm blankets under him he believed he had never felt anything more comfortable in his life. He rolled onto his back and laid as still as he possibly could while his eyes stayed glued to the ceiling. The small amount of sunlight that streamed through the window was more than welcome as it's soft warmth soothed his clammy skin, and he relished in the silence while he closed his eyes.

As much as he missed home, he would be the first to admit that it was never this peaceful there. There was always some kind of yelling or something breaking as background noise. Not that he came from a broken home or anything- his siblings just got rowdy sometimes, and hey, accidents happened and things broke every once in a while. While he as reminiscing Lance almost didn't hear the door opening, and Pidge walking in almost soundlessly.

"Hey, head up soldier." She spoke playfully, setting a small tray of food at the foot of his bed while she helped him sit up. "I told Hunk you weren't feeling well and he gave me this, said he started making it when he heard you puking." Lance cleared his throat and shook his head, trying to find his voice.

"Not hungry..." He murmured, his voice strained and raspy. Pidge tutted and shook her head, handing him the glass of water on the tray before placing the sheet of light metal on his lap.

"I haven't seen you ear anything since before Shiro told you and Keith about the mission, you puked because of your nerves and lack of sustenance." Her explanation made Lance's slightly swollen eyes widen an bit. He had no way to deny her, since both of them knew she knew more about this than he did, so he just averted his eyes from her motherly-like gaze while taking a small sip of the water.

"Thanks..." He muttered after swallowing the cool water, his voice noticeably more clear than moments before. Pidge shook her head with a small smile curling her lips, slowly stirring the steaming soup with a spoon.

"It's no problem, but I really think you should stay back from the mission." Lance gave her a puzzled look that seemed to say "why?". "It'll be best for you to stay back and recover, something as small as this shouldn't make you physically ill." She paused to sigh softly and let her eyes flutter shut for a moment. "That and you clearly don't want to go, you're not in the right mindset. I'll ask Allura and Shiro to send Hunk or me instead." She took a small serving of soup into the spoon in her hand, pressing it against his lips. He complied by taking a small sip of it and gulping it down, softly sighing when he felt the warm liquid travel down his throat.

"I want to go." He spoke suddenly, giving a blank expression to Pidge's confused one. "You're still sleep deprived from staying up in the engine room pretty much every day last week, and Hunk would go crazy if he was forced to stay trapped in a pod for that long. It's best for me to go." Even if this brief explanation was supposed to convince Pidge, Lance came to realize more and ore why him and Keith were the perfect choices to go in the first place.

"Alright, if you insist..." Pidge replied, a tired smile on her face while she continued to feed him the soup. "I still don't think it's a good idea, though. I mean, you and Keith?" He lightly chuckled after she spoke, a grin spreading across his lips for the first time in almost an entire day.

"I'll be fine, I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm..." He was partially trying to convince himself as well while Pidge pulled his blankets over his lap and part of his stomach.

"Alright... make sure to finish the rest of that soup and get some rest, bud." He suddenly noticed how soft her voice was, and realized how accustomed he was to the sweet, caring Pidge he was talking to right now he nodded soundlessly while she walked out of the room, adjusting her large glasses to sit on her so she could rub her eyes.

A comfortable silence surrounded him while he downed the soup and drank a bit more of his water, before placing them back on the tray and on the floor. He didn't toss and turn like he did the other night, in fact he fell into a peaceful slumber only a few moments after his head hit the pillow.

 ~~~

Keith ran a hand through his slightly greasy and knotted hair while slowly pacing around his room. He had bolted back to it as soon as he saw Lance in his hunched over position over the toilet, letting his thoughts run rampant thought his head while he kept a steady, rather repetitive pace around his room. He was worried for his fellow paladin, if that much wasn't obvious, and he had no clue how to help him.

"Of course you would freeze up like that, you're such an ass!" Keith spoke in a hushed voice, sitting down and hunching over in his bed. He groaned lightly and began to lightly tug on his hair while clenching his jaw tightly.

A sudden light knock was heard at his door, and startled his sleep deprived body enough to make him jump. He almost didn't want to, but he knew how incredibly rude that was so he told whoever it was to come in. He put his hair back into a tight ponytail in attempt to fix how disheveled, and incredibly knotted and dirty it was.

"'I really don't think Lance should go!" Pidge announced as soon as she walked in, practically marching over to Keith with a determined look on her face. Keith gave her a look akin to "yeah, no shit", and at up a bit in his spot. "He's never like this, he never even got this nervous at the Garrison!" Pidge began pacing around the room while running a hand through her hair, and took her glasses off to clean them on her shirt- something she only did when she was upset or something to that extent.

"Hey, calm down for a second..." Keith did his best to not cause himself stress over her well-being too, as dark bags were under her eyes and she slightly wobbled with every step. "Did you talk to him?"

"Keith, he could barely even speak. Listen-" Pidge finally settled in the spot next to Keith, giving him an intense look and placing her glasses on her lap. "- Hunk or I can go with you, or under the circumstances we're both more than willing to just take the mission all together-"

"Pidge, I can handle it." A humorless and rather dry laugh escaped Keith's lips while he spoke, also forcing a smile in attempt to lighten Pidge's spirits. "I'm sure Lance can, too. After both of us get some rest we'll be fine." He ignored Pidge's rambling when she began to babble out excuses, closing his eyes and exhaling softly through his nose.

"Keith? Keith, are you even listening?" He shook his head slightly and felt the strong urge to fall back onto his bed. "Y'now, I'm probably just overthinking this... Just know that I'm only one message away, okay?" He opened his eyes when he felt her smaller hand on his shoulder, and gave her a tired smile and nodded briefly. "Get some rest, big cat." She gently patted it before standing and leaving his room, making a sigh of relief fall from his lips when she was finally gone. Keith fell back onto his bed and almost immediately fell asleep, not bothering to take off his shoes or somewhat uncomfortable clothes before he fell unconscious.

The two paladins enjoyed their rest tremendously, mostly because the anxiety of their their trip couldn't reach them there...


	4. Update!

Hey there, I'm not dead readers! I have to say that I'm really sorry for the long breaks between chapters, things have been a lot more hectic this summer than I intended them to be. I'm not going to update in the next two weeks- HOWEVER, I'll try my best to write a few chapters while I'm away. 

This series is far from dead, I have most of the rest of it planned out but I've just been having a bit of trouble trying to wrap up chapter four. I know that it's been quite a while, but school had me completely swamped and I needed a week or so to reciprocate afterwards.

I hope you all stick around for the rest of the series, though I can't promise that I'll be very speedy on updating it for a little while!


	5. Chapter 4- Liftoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long buildup, Keith and Lance finally leave for their mission...

"Keith?" A soft groan escaped said boy's lips while he rolled onto his side in bed, discarding the muffled voice calling for him fore more of the sweet sleep he craved. "Keith, are you ready?" He, again, dismissed whoever was on the other side of his door. He did give a small grunt to give into the illusion that he was awake, but in reality was dozing off into blissful oblivion...

That was, until he realized what exactly was going on that day. He bolted out of bed and left his sheets in a tangled mess on the floor, picking up his bag that he packed the night before and double checking he had everything before he tied up his rather greasy hair into a ponytail before nearly sprinting out of his room. Keith realized a bit too late that if this pod didn't have a shower, he would be screwed...

Keith sprinted so fast through the halls of the castle that he didn't notice the wall in front of him before he ran into it... scratch that, it was just Shiro. Neither of the two fell from the impact, and the apparent human-wall barely even flinched upon collision. Shiro turned around and made a small noise of surprise before addressing the boy.

"Watch where you're going there, little red." He teased, ruffling Keith's hair while softly chuckling. "You ready? You sounded half asleep when I came to check on you." Keith cleared his still groggy and sleep-laced voice before replying, untying and re-tying his pony tail in attempt to make his hair look like less of a disaster.

"Nope, I was fine. Just grabbing a few last-minute things." Keith's voice cracked for a moment while he looked away from Shiro, walking a bit faster down the hallway when he was before. Shiro raised a brow at Keith's behavior for a moment before shrugging it off, and following closely behind him into the main room with everyone else.

Pidge and Hunk stood close to Lance, holding a few of his belongings for him while they continued to attempt to convince him to stay behind. Their hushed voices came to a sudden halt when Keith and Shiro walked in, the blue and red paladins' eyes locking almost immediately. After a few minutes of complete and utter silence Keith noticed Allura and Coran's presence in the room as well, and tore his gaze from Lance to walk over to them.

"So, when are we leaving?" Keith adjusted his backpack and stood up straight in front of the two. Coran looked over to Allura, as if asking her a question without even speaking. Allura nodded, making a large grin appear on the other Altean's face.

"This way, Paladins! Red and blue up front, please!" He called out cheerfully for the others while he led the way down one of the halls, Lance rushing to keep up with his long strides. It was a rather brief to the pod, and when hey reached it Keith was a bit surprised at its size.

It was about as large as the head of the blue lion, but Keith hoped it wouldn't be as crammed as the head was. To put it frankly, the damn thing was huge. Keith was just hopeful that he could at least have some space to himself, instead of being crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with Lance- like in the case of the elevator incident.

"This is the best I could do on short notice, but I'm sure the two of you can make do..." Coran's tone sounded almost disappointed, but he quickly brushed this off and led them inside. "This place has slightly tighter quarters if I'm being honest. No big, empty halls in here, but I hope you to will adjust." Lance and Keith glanced around the sitting room, the first thing the two of them saw walking into the pod.

The interior was admittedly nice for a pod, even if everything but the washroom was in one room. The two paladins could see from where they stood in the entryway, which meant the only privacy they would have would be when they were in the washroom. While the boys were lost in though, Coran pointed out the features of the room; how to work specific things, what to do if the pods power went off- the basics.

The two placed their belongings on their beds- which were bunk beds, of course. They were just glad they wouldn't have to sleep on couches, or even share a bed. Keith became flustered as soon as the though crossed his mind, and walked quickly out of the pod to say his goodbyes to everyone waiting outside of it. He made a beeline to Shiro first, walking into his embrace and not flinching when his cold, prosthetic arm came in contact with his own.

"Good luck, and have fun..." Shiro gave Keith a soft smile when he pulled away from the hug, patting him on the shoulder before letting him say goodbye to everyone else. Pidge and Allura gave the same sort of reply as Shiro, a gentle hug and wishes of good luck. Coran and Hunk were a bit more... intimate. Keith genuinely thought that the yellow paladin could crush him between his forearm and bicep if he wanted to, and reminded himself never to get on the teddy bear-like man's bad side.

Once Lance was ready to go- which took a while, since a few tears were shed during Hunk and his goodbye- the two boarded and took their seats. The two seats in the main room spun to face a large window, which showed the castle's airlock door beginning to open. The others had evacuated into the other room before it had begun to do so, crowding behind the control panel behind Coran in front of the window overseeing the room. They remained there while the pod was ejected into the starry, cold void outside the castle's walls.

Lance yelped and shrieked from the sudden shove into the starry nothingness before them, and even Keith made a small grunt of surprise as well. Static and a muffled voice began to show up on the monitor on a small square of the large window they were seated in front of, steadying after a few moments to reveal Coran behind an intricate-looking control board.

"Sorry for the bumpy ride, you two! Make sure to hold on tight for a little while longer, we’re going to send you through a wormhole to your destination!" The two met each other's glances for a moment before looking out the window at the glowing ring forming in front of them. The image and voice of Coran faded into nothing while they flew straight through the center of the glowing wormhole, and the two felt a force shove them back in their seats.

Even though the two ere very used to the pull of wormholes in the castle, the pod they were currently occupying seemed much more effected by the velocity of it. Keith deducted that it was likely because of the pod being less stable and noticeably minuscule compared to the ship, while Lance was too busy trying to keep Hunk's soup from splattering onto the floor in front of him.

When they eventually exited the wormhole they were given a view of a blue planet, much too pasted to be earth, but it still made Lance nostalgic. His stomach coiled tightly at the memories of home flooding back to him, making his heart throb loudly in his ears and his throat progressively become more and more swollen the longer he lingered on them.

"Alright!" Coran's fuzzy voice echoed through the speakers in front of them, and made them both jump and shift their gazes from the planet to the screen with the Altean on it. "This is Solaris, the planet you'll be staying on for roughly a week. This week happens to be the one that holds the celebration of Soliarp, a time of year where all walks of life get together to show their love and appreciation for one another."

"Sounds like my kind of holiday." Hunk's unmistakable voice laughed from off-screen, making Lance grin and Keith make a futile attempt to fight off a smile.

"Yeah, you would like it you big sap." They heard Pidge tease from off-screen as well, earning a lighthearted laugh from the blue paladin. Keith felt his chest swell almost painfully at the sound, and he squirmed in his seat slightly while trying to make the sensation go away.

"Alright, settle down. Let Coran explain the mission." Shiro chuckled softly while he calmed the two down, and a hush fell over the giggling paladins. Coran looked thankful for the sudden silence, and continued from where he left off after clearing his throat.

"You two will be overseeing the festivities from the pod, making sure no one attacks the planet or tries to harm anyone." Keith nodded curtly up at the screen and Lance gave a mock salute, his signature grin slowly creeping onto his face. "If you have any problems don't hesitate to call, and make sure to hold on tight while you land!" The screen shut down before either boy cold protest, and the grin that was spread across Lance's face was wiped clean in off in a matter of seconds.

The pod began to rumble, and they began to pick up speed the more they fell into the atmosphere of the planet. It didn't take long for this to rattle Lance, as he begun screaming different variations of "we're gonna die" over the loud rumbling of the pod as it began to descend. Keith was slightly harder to sway, but when he finally realized how fast they were falling he tightened his grip on his chair's armrest and grew a look of panic on his face.

Neither knew how long they had fallen for, but when they were able to view the ground a sickly feeling grew in both of their stomachs. Lance was frozen with fear, completely immobile from the anxiety that practically emanated from his lanky, shaking frame. Keith, on the other hand, looked over to the screaming boy beside him and gripped onto his clammy, trembling hand with his own.

"Lance-" He began, catching the other's attention quickly and silencing him with his serious tone. "If we don't make it out of this, I want you to know that..." He paused, becoming entranced for a moment in Lance's blue eyes before tightly squeezing his hand.

"It was an honor defending the universe with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the absence lovelies! I'm so, so grateful for all the amazing comments, and I can't thank you all enough for being so patient with me! I think I'm going to make a schedule to post a chapter at least every two weeks, occasionally sooner or later than that if there's something else going on. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Chapter 5- Collision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith arrive at their destination, and try to become accustomed to their tight quarters.

_"It was an honor defending the universe with you."_

 

Lance's breath became caught in his lungs after Keith spoke, his eyes widening and his grip on the other's hand faltering. His heart began to pound even faster against his chest, if that was even possible at this point, and the strangest warmth seemed to surround him in that fleeting moment. He swallowed thickly before even attempting to reply, and even when he did he still stammered almost embarrassingly badly.

"Same here... thank you, Keith." Keith's chest swelled even more, and he gave a warm smile to Lance- who sent him a wavering, shy one in return. They looked back out the window, and panicked a bit more when they realized how much closer to the ground they had gotten whist their eyes were pried away from the thick, glass pane. Both of their eyes shut tightly while they squeezed each other's hands tightly, bracing for impact.

 

Lance was at a loss of what to think in a moment like that one. The same person who flirted with seemingly anything with two legs had no clue what to say or do, and it frightened him more than he was properly able to express. One would think that Lance would be used to death-defying situations like this one, however as the time dragged on in the castle he found himself caring less and less. Of course, he would never intentionally put the rest of his team in danger because of this, but he still could never shake the dark shadow that seemed to constantly loomed over him.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought about these kinds of things for too long, but in free-fall like this, that flavor spread across his tongue faster than it ever had before. The looming shadow grew and festered as they continued to fall, making Lance's thoughts run at a thousand miles an hour.

No matter how much support he got from the rest of his team, he couldn't help but still feel replaceable in the grand scheme of this intergalactic war. Surely there was another person in the wide span of the universe that could pilot the blue lion, and hopefully be a better pilot of Blue than he was. He felt like the frayed end of a shoelace- which, in his mind, could be as easily replaced as he was.

 

Keith's mind seemed to go numb in this moment. He couldn't feel a single thing; not the sense of dread from the ever approaching ground, nor the butterflies that were previously swarming his stomach.

The only thing that he seemed to still feel was the warmth of Lance's hand wrapped around his own clammy one, and what replaced that feeling of dread was one of contempt.

He knew he couldn't possibly die now, there was so much he hadn't done. He hadn't saved the universe, he hadn't found his mother, he hadn't made amends with his teammate. Keith prayed to whatever higher power was up there profusely in that moment, begging and pleading for a second chance while be felt his eyes begin to burn and blur.

 

Then there was nothing.

The two's eyes clenched shut a few moments before they made collision with the ground, and stayed that way while they anticipated the collision with the ground. But there was nothing. 

No fiery explosion was felt or heard after free fall, even gravity had gone back to normal in the small space they were calling home for the time being.

Slowly, and very hesitantly, Keith pried his eyes open. A small twinkle reflected from his dark eyes when they landed on the scenery surrounding the outside of the pod, and he became frozen in place.

When he realized that Lance hadn't opened his eyes, and that he was missing this wonderful sight, Keith nudged his side and glanced over at the boy beside him. Lance's demeanor was stiff beforehand, but as soon as Keith's elbow made contact with his gut he lurched forward slightly and his eyes flew open.

Before he could whip his head in Keith's direction to snap at him the scenery outside the large window in front of him caught his eye, and his jaw dropped while his eye widened. 

In front of the two was likely the most beautiful planet either had ever been to in their entire journey across the galaxy. The grass across the entirety of where they currently were was varying shades of blue- spanning from baby blue to the same color as the deepest corners of the ocean. The grassy ground was heavily contrasted by the red trunks of the golden-leaved trees that were scattered across the small meadow they had landed in, all different heights but all sharing the same likeliness. All of the trees' leaves heavily resembled the willow trees back on earth, and swayed daintily in the small breeze that swept across the serene landscape. 

The two paladins could see that quite a ways away there were preparations being done for the festival Coran was talking about, and it appeared that hundreds of different alien races were in that space helping each other. 

Suddenly static appeared on that same square of the window before them, revealing Coran a few moments later.

"Ah, so you've made it! I apologize for the landing again, the control I have over your pod is less than satisfactory." The two watched him fumble with a few leavers and colored buttons in front of him before he addressed them again, a wide smile on his face. "Welcome to Solaris, paladins!"

The two were still quite taken aback by the scenery of the world before them, to which Coran seemed to notice. 

"Ah, I see you're admiring the nature! This is quite a beautiful planet, I even came for a celebration of Soliarp once in my youth!" Coran seemed to not have an off switch when he went on rants like this, and he continued to go on and on about his experiences on the planet until Princess Allura came onto the screen. 

"I'm sorry about Coran, paladins, he tends to grow a bit overly-nostalgic about experiences from his youth." She gave a small, almost shy smile whilst said Altean continued to talk in the background. "I just wanted to let you two know that these calls with not be common over the next week; it is crucial that you preserve power in your pod until we can retrieve you, and these calls aren't exactly the most energy-saving utility." She gave a lighthearted chuckle whilst Coran shuffled into view behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders when he felt it was time to interrupt.

"Exactly- that's why we have to end our little chat now! We'll see you in seven quintents!" With no warning or chance to say goodbye either the screen went black, and the red and blue paladin were left in complete and utter silence.

The two decided to admire the scenery this silence for a short while longer, before either could truly deem this terrible trip had begun. The way the muted wind outside made the glittering branches of the trees almost dance soothed them, and before they realized it both of their adrenaline from the earlier terrifying event had washed out of them.

Moments passed into minutes, and as tranquil as this scene was, it eventually grew boring. Keith glanced at the only other person in the room, then turned his whole head towards him when he realized Lance was doing the same. 

No words needed to be exchanged to tell why the blue paladin was doing so, because as soon as Keith glanced down at the space between them he knew why he was being stared at so strangely...

...They were still holding hands.


	7. Chapter 6- Normality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith do their best to grow used to their quarters... to no avail.

...They were still holding hands.

 

Keith quickly pried his hand from Lance's grip, his face tinting a deep shade of red while he stood up and began to walk. Where? Even the red paladin didn't know, he just desperately needed to be alone after that ordeal.

He could still feel the warmth of Lance's smooth hand in his while the bathroom doors closed behind him, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed about how rough his own hands felt. He supposed the hours of intensive training didn't do him any favors, maybe he should take better care of himself...

Keith caught himself before he could let his mind wander any longer, turning on the faucet and splashing a few handfuls of cold water in his face. He only needed what was necessary- or, that was what he kept telling himself. He grew up only having the bare necessities, so using as many products as Lance did seemed incredibly wasteful to him. And judging from the state of Lance's bathroom- which he had gotten a glance at a few times in passing, that many products would be unbelievably hard to keep track of. 

Keith decided to take a few more minutes to himself after glancing around the rather claustrophobic bathroom, checking the door to see if it was locked before slowly taking off his few layers of clothing. The amount of grease that was in his hair had grown too much for him to bear for much longer; besides, he clearly needed a bit of space from Lance for a short while.

When the shower door clicked shut behind him, Keith felt a wave of serenity reach him. Being alone like this always made him peaceful- especially after the ordeal he had just been through. 

It reminded him of how serene his home was, out in the desert and in complete seclusion. Sure, Keith was glad he had Team Voltron looking out for him now, but it was these moments alone that kept him sane in the middle of the cold vacuum of space.

Thinking back to his teammates back on the ship made him get lost, though. He remembered all the memories he shared with Shiro, who was more or less like a brother to him. Keith looked up to him so much, too; and even though Keith usually had a lot of confidence, around Shiro he felt... inferior, somehow. Almost like he didn't deserve to hang around him.

Then his mind drifted to Pidge, who he wouldn't have looked twice at back on Earth, but proved herself to be very skilled. At first glance her adorable facade could fool nearly anyone, and it did trick Keith at first. All that aside, she quickly became one of his favorite people. They bonded on a deep level that neither could really explain, and neither really cared to either.

He found his thoughts swimming with Hunk next, and a small smile curled his lips while he scrubbed his hair. Hunk was a lovely person, no questions about it. Keith couldn't recall a day in this mission to save the galaxy that he despised the man, and that was an amazing accomplishment. He wished that he could be as kind as Hunk some days, he may see life in a different, better light that way.

He then recalled Allura and Coran, two aliens he had become so fond of. For some reason Keith felt like an outcast in the small band of heroes, and Allura and Coran were the two that didn't let his doubts about himself consume him. Even though Keith knew he hadn't gone through as much grief as they did after finding out their planet was destroyed, he felt that he sympathized with them. 

Keith paused and opened his eyes, his arm falling to his side while he brushed his dripping locks from his face. Then there was Lance. His name made Keith's skin crawl- from irritation or something else, he couldn't quite tell.

The blue paladin and him had absolutely nothing in common, they fought, but somehow made up in the end. Keith couldn't recall what made him go down without a fight, and he didn't know why Lance backed down at the same time.

A small groan escaped from him while he reached for a towel and turned off the shower faucet. Why is he thinking about this now? There was absolutely no reason to get caught up in these thoughts again, especially when said person would be in tight quarters with Keith for the next seven days.

For the sake of keeping the peace throughout the week, Keith decided to apologize...

 

Lance was still seated in his chair when he heard the shower in the bathroom turn on, his arm hanging off the side of the armrest.

He couldn't understand why Keith had grown so flustered from something so little as that, when he, Hunk and Pidge did things like it on the daily. In fact, just a few days ago the three had a sleepover in Lance's room- they shared the bed and everything! It was a failed attempt to get Pidge to catch up on all the sleep she had missed, but it was still very fun- albeit very tiring.

With a small yawn Lance stood, taking off his jacket and hanging it off the edge of his chair before moving around the pod slowly. He couldn't help but feel a tad claustrophobic inside the shuttle, even though it was quite large compared to most other pods. He wanted to take a walk, or at the very least sit outside in the picturesque field, but didn't think it wise to do so without letting his roommate know.

So, the blue paladin sat and waited. For what? No clue, maybe something interesting to happen at the very least. 

He realized that maybe he should have brought something to do on this mission, because if this was the height of his adventures on this planet then he would be very disappointed.

Just then a warm heat filled the room, the bathroom doors had opened. Keith stepped out slowly, glaceing at Lance before quickly looking away again. The same shade of red from before tinted his cheeks while he stepped closer to Lance, placing his own jacket on the back of his chair before taking a seat. 

His hair was pulled back in that cute pony tail again, and Lance couldn't help but let a small smile curl his lips at the sight of it before quickly wiping it clean off his face.

"I'm sorry... for doing that..." Keith muttered, his voice carrying around the room much louder than he would have preferred. "You looked scared, and I wanted to... make you less scared." He seemed to be struggling with the wording of his apology- if it could even be classified as such. While Keith was trying his hardest to keep his gaze as far from Lance as he could manage- meanwhile, said paladin was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing at his  apology.

"Hey, it's alright, man!" Lance grinned, leaning over and placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. "You were trying to help, I get that, and it's very much appreciated~" He chuckled lightly, ruffling Keith's wet hair quickly before he had his hand swatted away playfully. "It's getting pretty long, mullet. How long're you planning to grow it out?" Keith shrugged in response, self consciously trying to push his bangs from his forehead.

"No idea, I might get it cut when we get back..." He replied, trying as hard as he could to picture himself with short hair. He couldn't, to no surprise, and neither could Lance.

"I don't think I've ever seen you with short hair..." Lance hummed, a small smile curling his lips after a few moments of silence hushed over the two. "But I can already tell you that I like your long hair better."

Keith jumped slightly when he felt Lance tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear, which had tinted red at the action.

"Y'now, I can give you a trim if you want? I'm sure my little brothers' can preach to my talent!" Keith snickered at Lance, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms under his chest in a playful manner.

"Uh-huh, sure. I'm not sure I trust you with scissors that close to my face quite yet."

"Ooh, 'quite yet'? Do you have high hopes for me, samurai?"

"As high as that horse you're sitting on, sharpshooter~"

Neither had a clue as to how a casual, and even awkward conversation turned into... whatever the hell this was. However, neither had a doubt in their minds that if the rest of the week played out as smoothly as this, it would be a cakewalk... hopefully.


	8. Chapter 7- Settling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things appear to be going back to normal... or as normal as it can be for two defenders of the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! This chapter does include mature themes, if you are uncomfortable with masturbation please skip it.

"Keith."

"No."

"C'mon, you didn't even let me finish!"

"I knew what you were going to say, I'm not moving."

Keith remained resilient, not moving an inch from his spot on the bottom bunk of the bed that was provided for them.

Coran was truly as idiot to believe that the two could determine their sleeping arrangements peacefully, and was especially dumb to predict that they would be mature about deciding who would be on the bottom bunk.

"I can't sleep on the top, I'll fall off!" Lance threw his arms up in rage, his eyes wide and a rather playful scowl on his face. 

As much as both paladins wanted the bottom bunk, this was definitely not a cause for an actual argument. When the two truly went at it they ended up exhausting themselves, and neither felt they had enough energy to do so.

"Good, maybe then you'll remember to call dibs next time." Keith, who now had a smug smile curling his lips, crossed his arms over his chest while he glanced up at Lance.

It was so easy to get a rise out of him, that Keith had made it a little game for himself. This was the quickest Lance had gotten to shouting at him, even if it was in a rather playful tone.

"You said you didn't know what dibs were!" Lance's left eye now began to twitch with annoyance as his pupils constricted, his second stage of anger.

Yes, Keith remembered clearly stating that he didn't know what dibs were, but it was only so that Lance would just give him what he wanted. As clever as he was in battle, the blue paladin was as gullible as the Alteans at times. Keith had lied about a lot of things, now that he thought about it, but in his eyes it was well worth it to see how Lance reacted.

"Do you honestly think after living with you, I didn't learn what dibs are by now?" Keith raised a brow while glancing over at Lance, his lips remaining curled into a cocky smile. There was no way he was going to move, there was no possible way for Lance to convince him to do so.

"Okay, that's it!" Lance huffed, kicking off his boots and sitting on the bottom half of the bed- which remained uninhabited since Keith's legs were bent. "If you're so determined to act like a little kid-"

"-Wait, I'm the one acting like a little kid?" Keith's smile was wiped clean from his face when his fellow paladin sat down, making a firm frown replace it. "You're the one who's making this a big deal! I was here first-"

"-And I called dibs!"

"I don't care about dibs, they're dumb!"

"You're dumb, I'm not moving!" Lance crossed his arms and slouched against the wall beside the bunk bed, his back posed in such a way that admittedly caused him quite a fair deal of pain. He did his best to ignore the sharp pain in his slouched back, though, his pride was worth much more to him that his comfort. 

The two remained silent for a few moments while glaring at each other, both wondering how this bickering could have possibly escalated so quickly. 

It was truly unfortunate that the two were so stubborn, otherwise this could have resolved itself so much more peacefully than how it ended up.

With a quick huff, Keith pulled the blankets off of himself, and sprung to tackle Lance. The movement of the boy took the other by surprise, and Lance fell onto his side without much of a fight.

Keith ended up straddling the right side of Lance's hip before he was able to turn him over onto his back, where he pinned him on the bed.

Both were silent yet again, though, this time a strange cloud of tension hung in the air.

Keith- unfamiliar with this tension, and not being the greatest at reading it- was overall unaffected by this looming tension. The same could not be said for the boy underneath him.

Lance's eyes were wide and unblinking while he gaped up at Keith, his entire body freezing while he stared back up into the eye of the storm.

This storm was not to be mistaken with the one that was beginning to howl outside, which just so happened to be knocking tree branches again the sides of the pod at this very moment.

No, this was the storm that was making Lance's heart beat at a mile a minute, the one that was making his face so warm that he was afraid his cheeks were now a noticeable scarlet.

This storm began with Keith's steely gaze, and ended when Lance mustered all his strength to push Keith off of his lap.

"Okay, I'll sleep on the top!" Lance kept his gaze from lingering to Keith, who was watching the other quickly clamber up the small ladder to the top bunk. 

"Er- alright..." Keith replied in a quizzical tone, raising a brow briefly before shaking off Lance's behavior. Keith was never one to look to into things, and Lance's strange behavior was no exception. 

No words were exchanged between the two for the rest of the night, since Keith had fallen into a deep sleep not long after turning the lights off. His bunk-mate was not so lucky.

Lance remained restless for a long while after Keith had fallen asleep underneath him, staring at the ceiling with a red face.

Lance knew he was deprived, but how the hell had he gotten _this_ effected by Keith straddling his lap?

He adjusted his pajama pants in attempt to make them feel less tight, but to no avail.

They still felt incredibly uncomfortable from his terrible, _terrible_  hard-on.

He was stuck deciding whether or not he wanted to deal with it at all, as- on one hand- most of his body felt completely and utterly exhausted after that day. On the other, he would definitely not be able to sleep if he tried to suppress the tent in his pants.

That, and if Keith woke before Lance the next morning- which was usually the case- he would be able to see what remained of his erection.

Lance suddenly had to bite down on his bottom lip to suppress a groan when he felt his groin throb particularly hard, and clenched his eyes shut tightly before slowly opening them to gaze at the ceiling.

He hadn't a clue why thinking of Keith seeing him like this had caused that, but he did know that he needed to take care of his situation immediately.

With a heavy sigh, Lance sat up and slowly climbed down the ladder and tip-toed into the washroom. He felt like a preteen again, working out his frustrations in the washroom late at night in order to avoid confrontation from the people sharing the room with him.

As the sliding door sealed behind him, Lance was already making quick work of putting the toilet seat down and tugging his pants slightly down his thighs. The bright lights in the bathroom obviously hurt his eyes after staring at the dark ceiling above his bed for so long, but it appeared that he couldn't even begin to care less.

He hissed softly when he wrapped a hand around the throbbing shaft, his eyes turning to slits before he let them flutter shut and began a steady pace.

It had been a long time since he last did this; not to say he didn't do it much on earth, it was just a lot harder to do so now, when he was being distracted with the responsibility of being a defender of the universe.

It felt incredible, so much so that he felt close after just a few minutes of steadily pumping himself in his tightly clenched fist. He did his best to conceal any soft grunts or groans with a cough- so if Keith happened to wake up at any point, he would not suspect anything suspicious going on in the washroom.

At that though, Lance came suddenly and completely out of the blue. He was thankful that there was not a mess, just a few strands of that sticky, white fluid dripping down to stick to his thighs

He cleaned himself off silently with a few tissues, and flushed them down the the toilet when there wasn't a trace of that sticky fluid on him.

Usually when he finished, Lance felt as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was relieved, of course, but there was a heavy weight sitting on his chest as he turned the lights off in the washroom and dragged himself back to bed.

The soft sheets were very comforting, and he immediately felt very drowsy. Still, his thoughts lingered one subject in particular until he had completely passed out.

 

_Why the quiznak had the thought of Keith made him climax on command?_


	9. Chapter 8- Day One, Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith endure their first morning on Solaris with a few flustered faces, as well as a visit from some important aliens.

Lance was obviously not the first of the two to wake the next morning- as Keith anticipated (even if he hadn't a clue of his friend's indulgence the night before), so he decided to get started on his morning routine. He decided he could settle for a shower later on in the day, and began to get dressed in the small washroom.

Afterwards, much to his own surprise, he took a seat on one of the chairs in front of the pod's large window and gazed on outside. 

Keith was always an early bird, he had woken up just before the sunrise and was now gazing at it intently. He hadn't quite noticed it before, but the sun on Solaris was a deep shade of maroon rather that the yellow one on earth. Because of this, the sky was given a strangely lovely hue, and all the different colored tents that were set up for Soliarp the day before had become bathed in it.

Keith was never one to stop and smell the flowers, but watching this new and beautiful planet awaken at daybreak was incredibly peaceful.

His intent gaze was suddenly broken when his stomach growled fiercely, making him sit up in his seat and softly chuckle at the noise. He stood hesitantly before stretching with a deep yawn, making his way towards the small kitchen just a few strides away. 

This entire pod was rather claustrophobic to Keith, but he supposed that was simply because he usually had the endless universe to escapade, and now he was trapped within the confines of a single planet. That sounded a tad dramatic, but after traveling far enough Keith had become accustomed to far more space at his disposal than this.

It wasn't a large surprise to see that there weren't many options for breakfast, all there ever was- unless Hunk decided to treat the team with something mouth-wateringly delicious- was food goo. With a sigh Keith dumped three large spoonfuls of it on his plate, and slowly trudged back towards the window.

He froze in place while staring at the sky, and squinted his eyes. The sun was shifting colors before his very eyes from that deep shade of maroon, to a softer purple, then to a pale shade of pink.

He blinked a few times before returning to his seat, watching the sky intently. Keith hadn't a clue if this was a regular occurrence, but if it was then he would definitely enjoy his stay.

The sun didn't change much after that, other than slowly turning a lighter shade of pink, but he had seen that a few times on earth.

He couldn't honestly recall how long he had been staring out the window- but it was apparently long enough for the paladin sharing this space with him to begin to stir. Keith payed no mind to it, though, and continued to gaze out the window.

He wasn't able to remember the last time he had simply sat back and relaxed like this, but he admitted to himself that this peace felt- well, very peaceful. That was one thing that had been devoid in his time on earth and in space.

 

As the world slowly came into view, Lance rubbed his drooping eyes. The blurry shapes around the room slowly grew more solid, and he found the memories of the day before hitting him like a ton of bricks.

A soft groan escaped his lips as he sat up, this was the case because he found his body much more achy than usual. He immediately hypothesized it was because of his activities the other night, and payed no more mind to it.

He found it difficult to find his footing while climbing down the ladder on the side of the bunk bed, but reached the cool metal floor unscathed before slipping on the slippers he had set down next to the bed the night before. 

A loud yawn escaped Lance as he trudged towards the window Keith was situated in front of, and tucked his hands into his blue robe's pockets while staring out the window as well.

The two shared the same sentiment, it seemed, because Lance kept his gaze on the beautiful view for what felt like an eternity.

 

Surprisingly enough, it was Keith who broke the silence after a short while. He did so after clearing his throat a bit uncomfortably, and keeping his gaze glue to the scenic world outside.

"I'm sorry about last night." He rushed his words, nearly tripping over them but getting his point across easily. "I was acting immature, I'm sorry I tackled you... If you want, we can switch spots. 

To say the boy beside him was shocked would be an understatement, and he found himself at a loss of just how to reply for a few moments.

"Hey man, don't worry about it. We were both tired, and I was overreacting a little..." He trailed off after he slowly glanced down to Keith, and found himself at a loss for words.

The soft shades of pink in the sky were now reflecting off of Keith's pale skin, making him practically glow underneath it. Not a hue was lost on his sharp features, in fact, he wore them quite well.

Lance took notice that his dark eyes were reflecting the sky as well, making them tint that soft pink as he stared on to the scenery before him. Lance's chest swelled yet again, as it had done so many times when he stared at Keith.

The blue paladin realized that he had his own view now; not the window, but the boy slouching in his spot before him. It was difficult for Lance to rip his practically hungry gaze away from Keith, but managed it with a heavy sigh.

"I- I'll be back in a minute..." Lance murmured, trudging away from the window and Keith just as said paladin's gaze settled on him.

He dragged his feet to his bag before going into the bathroom and letting a heavy, rather dramatic sigh escape him. Lance had the sinking feeling that he would be spending most of this trip's time inside this claustrophobic room, which he found strangely preferable when compared to sharing any more awkward silences with Keith.

As he slowly got changed, he found himself wondering if they would be able to leave the pod if need be. They had to, since if anything went wrong they could be able to help those attending the festival. He wanted to test his theory, and exited the washroom quickly before wandering back over to Keith- who was still comfortably seated before the large window.

"Hey, do you think we'd be able to leave if we wanted to?" Keith responded with a shrug and an idle hum, glancing up at the blue paladin with mild interest.

"Not sure. Why, are you feeling too cooped up already?"

"Aren't you?" Lance snickered, bouncing on his heels for a moment while glancing away from Keith quickly. "I just want to get out there. It looks really nice, and I really don't want to spend this entire trip in a big metal pod."

"You aren't taking this very seriously, are you?" Keith replied with a sudden sharpness in his tone, his eyes narrowing at Lance. "This isn't a trip or a vacation, this is a mission. We didn't come here to socialize with the locals and meet new people, we came here to protect them."

"Relax, samurai, I just want some fresh air is all." Lance held his hands in front of him in a paranoid fashion, as if he was expecting Keith to pounce at any second. Sure, the red ball of fury was easy to anger, but this was just ridiculous.

"Fine, just try to take this mission-" Keith was interrupted by a sharp rapping at the door, and both's expressions dropped to ones of surprise after they jumped from the small scare.

They stayed as still as statues for a few moments, staring at each other as if asking which would be the first to step towards the door. It was to be noted that neither boys had any idea of whether or not it would be safe for them on the planet's atmosphere- though, it seemed that this possibility wouldn't stop Lance.

He took long strides towards the door as another three raps echoed off of the metal of the pod's door, echoing almost eerily around the rest of the structure. 

There was a rather obvious, ocean blue button that was labeled as "DOOR" beside the entrance to the pod, which Lance's hand hovered in front of for a few moments before he hesitantly pressed it into the wall. Moments after he pulled his hand away from it, the button popped back up, and so did the large, metal door in front of him.

Lance had to squint his eyes for a moment while he heard the temporary silhouette across from him clear their throat.

"Salutations!" A booming voice began, Lance could hear the large grin in their voice. "Welcome to our humble planet of Solaris, mighty paladins!" 


End file.
